Manifesto Novices’ Chase

Manifesto Novices’ Chase Overview

The Manifesto Novices’ Chase is run at Aintree Racecourse, which is just outside of Liverpool. It is usually the first event of a three-day meeting that features as its showpiece – the Grand National. The Manifesto Novices’ Chase is run over a middle-distance of two-and-a-half miles on what is a flat turning track.

The field jump sixteen fences in total and the prize money on offer is usually in and around £70,000 to the winner. The race is only open to those horses aged five and older, who came into the season without a previous win over fences. Horses that win this race tend to have a bright future ahead of them, with connections eyeing up bigger prizes now that their stars are proven at the highest of levels.

Both Protektorat and Banbridge have used this race in recent years as a stepping stone to bigger success, including wins in the Ryanair Chase for the former as well as the King George VI Chase for the latter.

Manifesto Novices’ Chase Betting Trends and Statistics

• There are two leading trainers in the Manifesto Novices Chase over the last 15 renewals. They are Nicky Henderson and Philip Hobbs, who have both won the race twice.
• Nicky Henderson’s winners have been Mad Max (2010) and Captain Conan (2013), while Philip Hobbs’ winners have been Wishfull Thinking (2011) and Menorah (2012).
• There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase, and that is former Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls. He has unbelievably sent a total of 16 runners to the race without recording any wins. An incredible statistic.
• Horses that are sent off as favourites for this race tend not to win it. No favourite has won it since Captain Conan back in 2013.
• The pendulum for this race has swung back towards the Irish for the last two seasons, with the British trainers having had such a stranglehold on it for so long.

Manifesto Novices’ Chase History

The race is quite new in the racing calendar and was only run for the first time in 2009. It is named after Manifesto, a racehorse who ran eight times in the Grand National itself between 1895 and 1904, winning it twice. The race was initially given Grade 2 status when it was first established. However, it was upgraded to a Grade 1 in 2012.

Richard Johnson and Barry Geraghty are the only two jockeys to have won the race more than once. Johnson experienced wins on Wishfull Thinking (2011) and Menorah (2012). Geraghty was victorious on Mad Max (2010) and Captain Conan (2013).